


Signs

by mooglecharm (morphaileffect)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Canon Disabled Character, Drama, M/M, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, Prompto Argentum Needs a Hug, Short, Short One Shot, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26323534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/mooglecharm
Summary: Set in the World of Ruin: Ignis seeks the help of a certain Blind Hunter to enhance his fighting skills. He has to go alone, and may not survive the journey there.Prompto may not have much time to say what he wants to say.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Signs

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Deaf, and I don’t mean any offense by writing this. I have some VERY basic knowledge of ASL, but I presume sign language is different in other worlds, so my descriptions for articulations will be very vague, at best.

They had to learn sign language anyway, at the Crownsguard. The basics covered stuff that was relevant to combat, like “follow”, “retreat” or “take the one on the left.” Signals that were supposed to help them survive the field.

If anyone wanted to know more, there were lessons available, outside of Crownsguard training. Neither Gladio nor Prompto opted for such lessons. They felt they had little time for training as it was, and there were more important things to learn.

They needed to prioritize skills that would help them defend their prince - who would later be their king.

Once their king had disappeared, however, and darkness had fallen over the world, and there was no one left for them to defend and signals were rarely of use because you could barely see in front of you, much less see where your field buddies were situated - the two of them realized there was actually one good reason to keep learning sign language:

So they could converse around Ignis, without Ignis overhearing.

 _Wrong_ , Prompto signed from the driver’s seat. _This is wrong._

 _Stop_ , Gladio signed back, beside him. They had made a pact to be stealthy when they had to “whisper.” But the urgency in Gladio’s gestures reached Ignis’ ears, and his head cocked a little to one side - as if he was waiting for more sounds to reach him at the backseat.

But Gladio and Prompto caught on, and stopped signing abruptly.

Ignis took a deep breath.

“The irony of it is,” he light-heartedly began, “I actually took additional sign language lessons at the Citadel - in the event of hearing loss, temporary or otherwise, during an enemy encounter. I thought, if there was going to be any danger from Empire forces, explosives would likely be involved, and hearing would probably be the first sense to go. So I wanted to have a larger vocabulary, to convey more complex sentiments in such a case. What I _didn’t_ take extra lessons on was blind combat. Seems now that was a bit short-sighted, as it were...”

He still sounded so calm, and in such good humor, as if he wasn’t about to do something possibly suicidal.

Despite his friends’ objections, silent and otherwise.

Prompto’s gloved hands gripped the wheel. They were close to their destination, and every little part of him was still screaming for him to hit the brakes. Ignis didn’t have to do this.

“You remember what they said in training, right?” Gladio asked Ignis. “Even if you lose one sense, or even a limb or two, you can take yourself out of the fight and still be useful.”

It was a kindness to Prompto that he said such a thing. Up until this point, he had been unsympathetic, telling Prompto to let Ignis decide his own fate. No matter how far away from them it would take him. No matter how much it would take away.

Up until now, he had been telling Prompto to stop being a brat about it, and to stop constantly trying to change Ignis' mind. Ignis needed to do what he thought was best for himself.

But, Gladio said, Prompto needed to do what was best for him, as well, and that was to finally be honest.

“Ah, but that’s the thing,” Ignis corrected. “I can’t take myself out of the fight.”

“You _can_ ,” Prompto argued, as he had done so many times in the past, that it tasted sour on his tongue, had to be forced out through gritted teeth. “You’ll be _okay_. We’ll be there for you and you’ll never have to feel - ”

“Aren’t we just about at the drop-off point, Prompto?”

Prompto wished Ignis hadn’t been so sharp. Or that he, himself, had not been too upset to serve up a passable distraction.

If he was his old self, he could have talked Gladio and Ignis’ ears off, then just driven past the place where Ignis had wanted to disembark. _Oops, did I miss the drop-off? Sorry, but heck, since it’s so far behind us now, let’s just stop at the next town and hang out for a bit! It can wait another day or so, right?_

If he were just more _together_ right now, he could have driven further. Could have driven forever.

Just to keep Ignis with them.

With him.

“Prompto,” Ignis said again, in a firmer voice.

Prompto shut his eyes tight.

And slammed on the brakes.

Gladio grunted as he was pitched forward slightly. Ignis put out a hand to steady himself against Gladio’s backrest.

“Yeah,” Prompto said softly, when the dust had settled. “Yeah, we’re here.”

Without acknowledging him, Ignis opened the car's rear door.

Gladio touched Prompto’s arm to catch his attention.

 _Talk to him_ , he signed.

 _What to say?_ he argued. _He’s decided. Everything’s already been said._

 _Everything?_ Gladio looked unconvinced.

He didn’t wait for Prompto’s answer. He opened the passenger side door and strode over to where Ignis was standing with his cane, facing a gentle downward slope that led to a vast, rocky wilderness.

There was a constant, low rumbling, like gigantic stone snakes shifting under the earth. But more than that, there were occasional cries from creatures that were unfamiliar to Prompto’s ears.

It was impossible to see anything out there, in the total absence of sunlight.

“Well, gentlemen,” Ignis sighed out, “the wailing of exceptionally deadly beasts tells me we’re in the right place. My thanks for taking me this far.”

“We can still take you farther,” Gladio argued. “You just have to let us.”

Ignis paused, then turned toward Gladio, shook his head.

“As tempting as it sounds,” he disclosed, “and as anxious as I admit to being after what I’ve just heard, I can’t afford companions. The Blind Hunter won’t train anyone who doesn’t make it through the pass alone. That was the deal.”

“Shitty deal,” Prompto mumbled from the driver’s seat. Ignis turned toward him.

“Indeed,” Ignis replied. “But I presume she herself is too busy surviving in a darkened world to train many people. And there will be many hopeful trainees, I am sure, so she must weed some out. She prefers her independence, even under these dire circumstances. I can certainly respect that.”

He took a few steps closer to the slope.

Gladio looked over at Prompto.

 _TALK TO HIM_ , he signed, angrily this time.

Prompto was about to ignore Gladio, but the words just slipped out. “H-hey, Ignis.”

Then he had no choice. Ignis had stopped and turned back to face him. He stood straight upright, face still calm, but his entire body more alert than Prompto had ever seen it.

So Prompto jumped out of the driver’s seat, ran over to where Ignis waited.

But when he stood between Ignis and his destination, he fidgeted, realizing he did not have the words prepared.

“Listen,” he said uneasily, without looking at Ignis' face. “You’re coming back soon, right? You’ll keep your phone on you, you’ve got me on speed dial, right, and you’ll call? As soon as you’re ready, I’ll come pick you up.”

Ignis nodded. “You’ll be the first to know,” he promised. “I can’t say that I’ll be back soon, and to be completely honest, I can’t say I’ll even make it. But one thing’s for certain: I won’t forget your kindness, Prompto.”

Prompto’s hands balled into fists at his sides.

This can’t be the way they said goodbye.

It can’t.

In his helplessness, he looked over at Gladio.

 _Speak_ , Gladio signed, almost sadly.

And in compliance, Prompto opened his mouth -

But his gaze fell on Ignis’ face, on Ignis’ sightless eyes, no less beautiful from the damage, and the word caught in his throat.

Their closeness burned. Prompto wanted to run. He wanted to take Ignis back to the car with him, drag Gladio back to the passenger seat, and drive, let the cool wind of the endless night dissolve whatever it was that made this so difficult.

Prompto tried again. It just wouldn’t come out.

So he decided to try something else.

 _I love you,_ he signed, using the gesture with the deepest possible meanings.

The sentiment felt like a bullet bursting out of his chest. He almost doubled up from the pain. It showed on his face.

 _I love you,_ he signed again.

Ignis frowned. “Prompto...” he began, concern lacing his voice.

Then Ignis signed, with undeniable eloquence and confidence, _You know I can’t see your words, right?_

A chuckle escaped Prompto, except it came out sounding like a sob.

It was too much.

He’d kept it in for so long.

And he couldn’t even say it aloud now, when it was perhaps his last chance to say it.

The strength in Prompto’s treacherous knees gave, and he pitched forward.

And before he could even think of steadying himself, Ignis had let go of his cane and held on to his arms to keep him upright.

Ignis no longer wore gloves, so he could better feel the things around him.

His touch was like fire on Prompto’s bare skin.

“Prompto,” Ignis said gently, “I know you’re worried. But this isn’t goodbye. One way or another, we’ll see each other again. I’ll see you again.”

Ignis pressed his forehead to Prompto’s.

“We’ve been through too much together, haven’t we?” he whispered.

Prompto could only manage a nod.

Ignis smiled.

“Speechless,” he noted. “So unlike you.”

He let go of Prompto, and Prompto finally found the strength to stand on his own two legs again.

And to do more.

Like, say, take Ignis’ perfect, scarred face in his hands.

And kiss his perfect, scarred lips.

The kiss wasn’t returned, but Prompto really wasn’t expecting it to be.

He just wanted to spite the words that failed him.

When they broke apart, there was a stunned look on Ignis’ face.

Prompto ignored it, so he could deliver his final message. He raised his hand and pressed it against Ignis’ chest.

 _Waiting for you_ , he signed in letters, onto Ignis.

At the corner of his eye, he could see Gladio smiling, his stance relaxed.

He picked up the cane that Ignis had dropped, and handed it back to him.

With both hands, he squeezed Ignis’ hand around the head of the cane. Then Prompto sprinted back to the car.

Gladio walked down to the edge of the slope to say his goodbyes to Ignis. They were speaking too softly for Prompto to hear, but he didn’t really want to overhear them anyway. He was busy processing what he felt.

When Gladio finally returned to the car, the tips of Prompto’s ears were still bright red from a fading blush.

And Ignis had already disappeared down the slope, into the darkness.

He had already made up his mind to leave them. A kiss wouldn't have stopped him, of course.

Prompto drew in a deep, shaking breath, and started up the car again.

They needed to drive back to Lestallum. It wasn’t the closest town on the map, but it was their home base, and the plan was just to drop Ignis off, then head home.

At one point, Gladio tapped Prompto on the shoulder, and when Prompto’s eyes were on him, he signed, _Well done_.

Under normal circumstances, Prompto would have said something to counter that, or play that down humorously. But this time, he just looked back at the road and smiled.

The silence went well with the feeling of emptiness that made up their entire drive back.


End file.
